Garment Belts and Methods of Adjusting a Garment

ABSTRACT

A garment belt includes a first attachment device at a first end of the belt, the first attachment device being configured to attach over a first belt loop on a garment. A second attachment device is on a second end of the belt, the second attachment device being configured to attach over a second belt loop on a garment. An adjustment piece can be disposed along the belt strap between the first adjustment device and the second adjustment device. A method of adjusting a garment by providing a belt having a pair of opposing attachment devices and a belt strap extending between the first and second attachment devices. The method includes attaching the first attachment device to a first belt loop on a garment and attaching the second attachment device to a second belt loop on the garment.

RELATED PATENT DATA

This patent claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 61/972,652, which was filed on Mar. 31, 2014, entitled “GarmentBelt”, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention pertains to belts for garments and methods of adjustinggarments.

BACKGROUND

Traditionally, belts for pants and other garments are configured toencircle the wearer's waist, with the belt typically passing throughnumerous belt loops attached around the waistband of or around the waistregion the garment. It can sometimes be cumbersome to place the beltthrough all the loops. Full-length belts can additionally cause thegarment to pucker around the waist, often with puckering occurringnon-symmetrically. Additionally, traditional belts are sized to fitspecific waist sizes. Accordingly, if the wearer's waist size increasesor decreases, a different belt size is in order, necessitating purchaseof a new belt. Full-length belts may be expensive and may be difficultto find in certain size ranges. It would be advantageous to providealternatives to traditional, full-length belts.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention encompasses a novel garment belt. The belt is configuredfor utilization with garments that have belt loops such as outerwear,pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, etc. The belt can attach to, forexample, two of the belt loops on the garment and can be configured toprovide tightening between the two loops.

The invention additionally encompasses methods of adjusting a garmentutilizing belt embodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a bottom view depiction of a garment belt in accordance withone aspect of the invention.

FIG. 2A is a front view depiction of the garment belt illustrated inFIG. 1.

FIG. 2B is a front view depiction of garment belt hardware associatedwith the garment belt illustrated in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a front view depiction of a garment belt strap of the beltdepicted in FIG. 2A.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are front view and bottom view depictions, respectively,of one belt attachment hardware configuration in accordance with theaspect of the invention represented in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are front view and bottom view depictions, respectively,of belt adjustment hardware in accordance with the aspect of theinvention represented in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are front view and bottom view depictions, respectively,of another belt attachment hardware configuration in accordance with theaspect of the invention represented in FIG. 1.

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C are front view, side view and back view depictions,respectively, of a belt strap in accordance with the aspect of theinvention represented in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7A is a top view representation of the belt embodiment of FIG. 1shown in alignment with the front of a garment.

FIG. 7B is a front view representation of the belt embodiment of FIG. 1shown associated with the front of a garment.

FIG. 8A is a front view representation of an alternate embodiment of agarment belt in accordance with another aspect of the invention, shownassociated with the front of a garment.

FIG. 8B is a bottom view depiction of the garment belt depicted in FIG.8A.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a garment belt in accordance withanother aspect of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a front view of another garment belt in accordance withanother aspect of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a piece of belt hardware of the beltconfiguration depicted in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a garment belt in accordance with anotheraspect of the invention.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a piece of belt hardware if the beltconfiguration depicted in FIG. 12.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The invention encompasses various embodiments of garments belts thatextend between two belt loops of a garment. The two belt loops can beadjacent to one another or can be separated by one or more additionalbelt loops. The belt can extend across a front of a garment, across theback of a garment, across a side of a garment, across a front and a sideof a garment, etc. In particular aspects, a belt of the invention canextend between two adjacent belt loops across the front of a garment.

The belts of the invention can be utilized with various garments,including but not limited to pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, tops,jackets and other outerwear. The belts can be utilized to adjust thesize of the garment and/or to give a garment a more fitted appearance.The belts can also be utilized to provide a support for carrying itemssuch as accessories, devices and tools (e.g. cell phones, knives,adornments, etc.).

One aspect of the invention is generally described with reference toFIGS. 1-7. Referring initially to FIG. 1, such depicts a garment belt10. Belt 10 can have a first attachment device 12 and a second opposingattachment device 14. Attachment devices 12 and 14 can be configured toattach independently to two belt loops of a garment. Attachment devices12 and 14 can be identical to each other or can have differingconfigurations. Belt 10 of FIG. 1 is an example configuration havingfirst attachment device 12 of a first configuration, and having secondattachment device 14 of a configuration that differs from device 12.

The two attachment devices can be independently selected from a varietyof attachment hardware including but not limited to hooks, clips, claspsand snaps. In the example embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, firstattachment device 12 is depicted as a hook type device. The hookconfiguration of device 12 is also depicted in FIG. 3. The depicted hookconfiguration has a front portion 20, a back portion 24 and a sideportion 22 that extends between front portion 20 and back portion 24.The hook device can be configured to attach one end of the belt to afirst belt loop by sliding back portion 24 of the hook behind the firstbelt loop such that front portion 20 lies over the front of the firstbelt loop (see FIG. 7B). The hook can be flat as depicted, or cancomprise curved front, side and/or back portions.

Where first attachment device 12 has a hook configuration, the depth ofthe hook portion d₁, (the distance from the front of the hook to theback of the hook) can preferably be sufficiently deep to allow ease ofattachment over a belt loop. The depth d₁ is not limited to a particularvalue and can vary depending upon the type of garment. Depth d₁ can insome instances be, for example, about 0.5 inches. Attachment device 12can preferably be configured such that a length, L₁, of front portion 20is greater than a length L₂ of back portion 24, as depicted in FIGS. 1and 3.

Attachment device 12 can comprise a slot 21 (visible in FIG. 3) throughwhich a belt strap 16 can pass. Slot 21 has a width W₂ that is smallerthan a width W₁ (FIGS. 2A and 3A) of attachment device 12. W₂ canpreferably be slightly greater than a width W₇ of strap 16 (discussedbelow with reference to FIG. 6) to allow the strap to rotate within andslide through slot 21.

Second attachment device 14 can be a hook (not shown) that can have thesame configuration as device 12, or can have a hook configuration thatdiffers from device 12. In the belt configuration shown in FIG. 1,attachment device 14 is a clip having an example clip configuration.Clip 14 is shown to have a flat front portion 26 having an overalllength L₃. Front portion 26 can alternatively be curved. Length L₃ ofclip 14 can be the same as the length L₁ of device 12 or can bedifferent. Clip 14 has a side portion 28 and a back portion 30, withside portion 28 connecting the front and back portions of the clip. Backportion 30 is not limited to a particular length L₄. In particularaspects, length L₄ of back portion 30 of clip 14 can be less than lengthL₃ of front portion 26.

The configuration of clip 14 of FIG. 1 is illustrates as being abelt-clip type attachment. It is to be understood that the inventioncontemplates use of alternative clip types including but not limited tocatch clips, spring clips, tension clips, pinch clips, etc. Clip 14 isconfigured to allow back portion 30 to slide behind a belt loop untilside portion 28 contacts the belt loop. Front portion 26 remains acrossthe front of the belt loop (see FIG. 7B) it the attached position.

Attachment device 14 can comprise a slot 31 (FIG. 5A) though which strap16 can pass. Slot 31 can preferably have slot length W₂ that isequivalent to the length of slot 21 of device 12, however non-equivalentslot lengths are contemplated. In particular instances, attachmentdevices 12 and 14 can each be clips, with the two clips being of thesame or differing configurations.

Attachment devices 12 and 14 can be fabricated from one or more of avariety of materials including but not limited to plastics, wood, metalmaterial (e.g. steel, aluminum, copper), and plated metals (e.g. gold,silver, nickel). The two attachment devices can comprise identicalmaterial(s) or can contain one or more differing materials.

Still referring to FIG. 1, belt strap 16 extends between attachmentdevices 12 and 14. Strap 16 can pass through the strap slots 21 and 31of the opposing attachment devices 12 and 14. In particular aspects,strap 16 can comprise a slide stop end 17 that prevents strap 16 fromsliding completely through slot 31. An opposing end 39 of the strap isfree of any slide stop to allow insertion through each of the two slots21 and 31.

Materials that can be utilized for the strap include but are not limitedto nylon, fabric materials, knotted material, rope, hemp, wovenmaterial, leather, bungee material, elastic material, chain, orcombinations thereof.

In particular embodiments, the belt strap will consist of a singlecontiguous piece of strap material. Where the strap consists of s singlepiece, adjustment hardware device 18, such as a bar slide buckle, can beused to adjust the length of the belt. Alternatively, the strap can beprovided in two pieces that can be joined by a joining buckle or otherend-joining device (not shown). Belt adjustment device 18 can inparticular instances be a bar slide buckle having a pair of openings 35(FIG. 4A). Alternative slide buckles are contemplated.

Adjustment device 18 can comprise any of the materials or combinationsof materials set forth above with respect to attachment devices 12 and14.

Where belt 10 comprises a bar slide type adjustment device 18, free end39 of belt strap 16 can be threaded through slot 31, from back to front,of attachment device 14 until slide stop 17 reaches the slot, therebyanchoring the strap. The free end of strap 16 can then be threadedthrough the slots of adjustment device 18 (from back to front to back)as illustrated in FIG. 1. The free end of the strap can then be passedthrough the strap slot of attachment device 12 from front to back. Thefree end is subsequently treaded again through adjustment device 18 fromback to front to back behind the previously threaded portion of thestrap. It is to be understood that the strap may alternatively beintroduced first through adjustment device 12 and subsequently throughdevice 14 such that slide stop portion 17 is retained by attachmentdevice 12 and the strap is threaded through adjustment device 18 in theopposite direction from that shown in FIG. 1.

Referring next to FIG. 2A, such shows a front view of the garment beltdepicted in FIG. 1. As illustrated, in the assembled configuration beltstrap 16 extends between a pair of opposing attachment devices 12, 14.Adjustment device 18 can be positioned centrally between the pair ofopposing attachment devices as shown. Alternative positioning ofadjustment device 18 is contemplated and may be achieved by slidingdevice 18 closer to one end of the belt prior to tightening of thestrap.

FIG. 2B shows belt hardware in an absence of the belt strap. In the FIG.2B depiction, the length L₁ of first attachment device 12 is equivalentto the length L₃ of second attachment device 14. In alternative aspects,L₁ and L₃ may differ. An example length for L1 and/or L3 can be, forexample, about 1.8 inches. Although FIG. 2B shows positioning of slots21 and 31 of the attachment devices to be of equal size and identicalpositioning relative to the two attachment devices, such configurationmay be modified such that either the slot size or placement differs fromthat shown. Further, the distance of each of the slots from the proximaledge of the respective attachment device can vary. It can be preferableto position the slots toward the proximal edge to provide stability ofthe attachment devices when tension is applied against belt loops.

Although FIG. 2B depicts the two attachment devices as being rectangularand of identical shape, alternative shapes and relative shapes and sizesare contemplated. For example, the shape of the attachment devices canbe other than rectangular. The attachment devices can independently be,for example, square, oval, round, arrow shaped, polygonal, asymmetrical,shaped like an object, animal, vehicle, etc. Further, the attachmentdevices can have squared or rounded corners, and/or the various edgescan be linear, smooth, sculpted, patterned or have any variety oftopography.

FIG. 2C shows a smooth rectangular strap 16 that can be utilized inbelts of the invention. Other strap configurations are contemplated suchas varied strap width and/or patterning along the strap edges. The frontof the strap can be smooth and uniform as shown or can comprise aregular or irregular texture, surface pattern etc. The strap ends can bethe same or can differ. The ends can be squared, rounded oralternatively shaped.

FIG. 3A illustrates one example of relative sizes of features comprisedby first attachment device 12. Strap slot 21 has a width W₂ that is lessthan the width W₁ of the device. Slot width W₂ can vary depending uponthe width of the belt strap, so long as the slot is of sufficient widthto allow the strap to pass through. In the example shown, the length L₁of the device is greater than the width W₁. However, the relative widthand height may vary from those depicted. The width W₁ of the device canalso vary with the width of the belt strap. In a particular application,W₁ can be, for example about 1.5 inches.

In particular embodiments, slot 21 can have an opening width W₂(vertical) of about 0.75 inches to about 1.1 inches, and a horizontalspace width (side to side) of from about 0.05 to about 0.125 inches.However, such measurements are configured for a strap having a thicknessof less than 0.125 inches. Since the invention contemplates more narrowor wider strap widths, as well as thinner or thicker straps, the slotopening can be adjusted accordingly.

Relative dimensions of the front 20, back 24 and side portion 22 ofattachment device 12 are represented in FIG. 3B. Preferably, sideportion 22 is of sufficient length d₁ to allow the device to attach overthe thickness of a belt loop. For security of the belt upon engagementof the belt on belt loops, back portion 24 can have a length L₂ that isat least as wide as the width of the belt loop. An example overalllength L₁ of device 12 can be from about 1.25 inches to about 1.8inches. For a device having this length, an example length of backportion L₂ can be from about 0.3 inches to about 0.7 inches, with anexample side portion having a length d₁ of about 0.25 inches. Therelative dimensions of the front, back and side portions can remain thesame or can vary as the overall size of the device is increased ordecreased.

Referring to FIG. 4A, example adjustment device 18 is illustrated withexample dimensions being shown. As shown, adjustment device 18 can be aslot buckle having two slots 35, a central bar 36 between the slots, andtwo side bars 33 on either side of the pair of slots. Adjustment device18 can have a width W₁ that is identical to the width W₁ of the firstattachment device 12. However, it is to be understood that the width ofadjustment device 18 can be greater than or less than the width of thefirst attachment device. Slots 35 can have equivalent or non-equivalentslot widths W₄. A vertical width of slots 35 can be, for example, thesame as the width W₂ of slot 21 of the first attachment device. However,alternative vertical widths of slots 35 are contemplated. The widths ofcentral bar 36 and side bars 33 are shown as being equivalent in FIG.4A. However, the central bar can have a different width as compared tothe side bars. Further, the side bars can have different widths relativeto each other.

In particular aspects, the widths W₄ of slot openings 35 can be, forexample, 0.3125 inches and the vertical height of the openings can be asset forth above with respect to w₂ of slot 21. In particularembodiments, overall length W₅ of adjustment device can be, for example,1.0 inches. However, alternative lengths are contemplated.

It is to be understood that although device 18 is depicted as beingsquare (rectangular) alternative shapes are contemplated, including anyof the alternative shapes and/or edge configurations described withrespect to attachment device 12 set forth above.

A side view of adjustment device 18 is shown in FIG. 4B. As shown,device 18 can be flat and can have a uniform thickness d₂ between afront surface 32 and a back surface 34. Alternatively, one or both offront surface 32 and back surface 34 of adjustment device 18 can becurved (not shown). Further, thickness d₂ can vary across the length ofthe adjustment device.

Second attachment device 14 is depicted in front view in FIG. 5A. Device14 can have a length L₃ that can be the same or can differ relative tothe length L₁ of attachment device 12. Similarly, a width W₁ of device14 can be equivalent to or can differ from the width of attachmentdevice 12. Slot 31 can have a width W₆ that exceeds a thickness of abelt strap used in conjunction with device 14. An example slot width W₆can be, for example, 0.125 inches. A width W₂ of slot 31 can exceed awidth of a belt strap utilized in conjunction with device 14, and beequivalent to or can differ from the slot width of attachment device 12.Attachment device can, in some instances, have a rectangular shape withrounded and/or squared corners as depicted in FIG. 5A. However, secondattachment device 14 can alternatively have any of the shapes andconfigurations discussed above with respect to first attachment device12. The shapes and configuration of Devices 12 and 14 can be identicalor can differ relative to each other.

A side view of second attachment device is shown in FIG. 5B. Inparticular aspects, an overall length L₃ of device 14 can be greaterthan a length L₄ of back portion 30. An example length L₄ of backportion can be, for example, 0.75 inches, where overall length L₃ isgreater than 0.75 inches (e.g. 1.25 inches). The curvature of backportion 30 is not limited to that shown in FIG. 5B. Preferably, backportion 30 has curvature such that one or more regions of the backportion are narrowly spaced from front portion 26 such that a belt loopcan be secured between the front and back portions proximate sideportion 28. As shown in FIG. 5B, device 14 can have an overall thicknessd₁ that is equivalent to the thickness of first attachment device 12. Itis to be understood that the invention encompasses embodiments where theoverall thickness of the first and second attachment devices differrelative to each other.

FIG. 6A shows a front view of belt strap 16 that can be utilized inaspects of the invention. Width W₇ of strap 16 is not limited to aparticular value. In some aspects, W₇ can be less than or equal to 0.75inches. However the invention contemplates use of alternative strapwidths that may exceed 0.75 inches, with appropriate adjustments ofconfigurations of slots 21, 31 and 33 of the corresponding belt hardwareand sizes of the hardware devices (devices 12, 14 and 18). Strap 16 canhave an overall length L₅ of, for example, from about 8 to about 10inches in embodiments of the invention that comprise and adjustablebelt.

The dashed line along a right side of a front face 25 of strap 16 asshown in FIG. 6A represents a position for a seam that can be introducedinto one end of the strap to provide an increased strap thickness whichcan prevent strap 16 from pulling through the slot in the correspondingattachment device upon threading of the strap through the device.

The seamed area can be better understood with reference to FIGS. 6B and6C which shows a side view and back view respectively of strap 16. Asshown, a slide stop 17 can comprise one or more folds in strap 16 at afirst end region 19 of the strap. It is noted that in the embodimentshown, an opposing second end 39 of strap 16 does not comprise any slidestop to allow threading of strap 16 through the various hardwaredevices. The folds in region 19 can then be secured by a seam (shown)and/or alternative securing technique including but not limited toadhesive, snaps, rivets, etch.

FIGS. 7A and 7B show a top view and a side view, respectively, ofgarment belt 10, in association with a garment 50 (e.g. jeans). Asillustrated, first and second attachment devices 12, 14 can be attachedto adjacent belt loops 52 of garment 50. The adjacent belt loops can beacross the front closure 54 of garment 50 as shown, or can be along anyother portion of a diameter of garment 50. Strap 16 can extend betweenthe two attachment devices 12, 14 across the intervening region ofgarment 50. Adjustment device 18 can be utilized to tension strap 16between the attached devices 12 and 14.

In accordance with the invention, belt 10 can be provided to adjust sizeand/or positioning of garment 50. To attach belt 10, strap 16 can beintroduced through the slot (back to front) in attachment device 14until the slide stop contacts the slot. The free end of strap 16 canthen be threaded through adjustment device 18 (back to front to back)and subsequently through the slot (front to back) of adjustment device12. The opposing attachment devices 12, 14 can be mounted over adjacentbelt loops 52 by sliding the respective back portions behind the beltloops, in either order of attachment. Strap 16 can be secured bythreading the free end of the strap behind the portion already threaded,back through adjustment device 18 from back to front to back, eitherprior to or after attachment of belt 10 to belt loops 52. Tension canthen be applied across strap 16 between the attachment devices to adjustthe garment by shortening strap 16 between devices 12 and 14.

Once an appropriate adjustment of garment belt 10 has been set, belt 10can be removed by lengthening the strap between attachment devices or bypulling belt 10 to either side for detachment of one of the attachmentdevices, followed by detachment of the opposing attachment device. Ifthe belt is removed without lengthening of the strap, the set belt canbe reattached to the garment by attaching the belt to adjacent beltloops 52 without readjusting the belt length. Although the process isdescribed with respect to adjacent belt loops, it is to be understoodthat similar process can be utilized to attach belt 10 to non-adjacentbelt loops, with one or more intervening loops.

An alternative configuration of a garment belt 10 a in accordance withthe invention is depicted in FIGS. 8A and 8B. Features of the garmentbelt that are new relative to embodiments already described are assignednew numeric identifiers. Aspects that are similar to the previousembodiments are given the same numeric identifier as used previouslywith added appendage “a”.

FIGS. 8A-B illustrate an embodiment of the invention having identicalattachment devices 12 a and lacking any adjustment device. It is to beunderstood that differing attachment device configurations relative toone another, and can have any of the attachment device configurationsset forth above. Garment strap 16 a can be shorter that the straputilized in previous embodiments and can opposing ends that are securedthrough each of the slots of the attachment devices. Strap 16 a cantherefore have a non-adjustable length.

Strap 16 a can be secured to each of the attachment devices 12 a bythreading the strap through each attachment device (front to back) andfastening the ends of strap 16 a back to itself with one or morefasteners 45. Fasteners 45 can include, for example, one or more seams,snaps, rivets, hook and loop material, etc. Alternatively, one or bothopposing ends of strap 16 a can have a slide stop such as discussedabove.

Attachment of garment belt 10 a to garment 50 can include engaging oneof opposing attachment devices 12 a to a first belt loop 52, andengaging the other of the opposing attachment devices to a second,adjacent or non-adjacent belt loop.

Referring to FIG. 9, such depicts a garment belt 10 b in accordance withthe invention having identical opposing attachment devices 12 b utilizedin conjunction with adjustment device 18. Attachment devices 12 b can beselected from any of the various attachment devices described above.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is described with referenceto FIGS. 10-11. Features of the invention that can be the same as thosediscussed above are given the same previously utilized identifiers.Similar features are assigned previously used numeric identifiers withappendage “c”. New features are assigned new numeric identifiers.

Referring to FIG. 10, garment belt 10 c can have a belt strap 16threaded through a first attachment device 12 c. First attachment device12 c can have any of the attachment device configurations describedabove. The shown attachment device 12 c differs from previouslydescribed devices in that it bears a design on the front of the device.The design may be, for example, molded, inlayed, scrolling, inset,engraved etc., or combinations thereof. The design is not limited to aparticular material, style or configuration and may comprise one or moresymbol, shape, lettering, numbering, logo, trademark, characterdepiction, object depiction, etc. and combinations thereof. It is to beunderstood that although the design aspect is described with respect tothe embodiment shown in FIG. 10, such can be utilized in combinationwith any of the alternate embodiments described.

Garment belt 10 c can comprise an alternative attachment device 60 thatcomprises an attachment portion 60B along with an adjustment portion60A. As shown, portions 60A and 60B can be integral. However, the twoportions can alternatively be constructed independently and joined.Attachment device 60 can have attachment portion 60B that has a backportion 64 such as previously described. Adjustment portion 60A cancomprise a bar structure having two slots 62. The slots 62 and bar canbe as set forth above with respect to adjustment device 18.

FIG. 11 shows attachment device 60 in an absence of strap 16. An overalllength L₆ of device 60 can be as discussed above with respect toadjustment device 12, or can be increased to accommodate addition areafor adjustment portion 60B. The relative lengths of portions 60A and 60Bare not limited to a particular value. It can be preferable that portion60A has sufficient length to prevent overlapping of slots 62 and backportion 64. Widths W₈ of slots 62 can be as described above with respectto slots 33 of adjustment device 18. It is to be understood that slots62 can have differing widths relative to one another (as can slots 33 ofdevice 18 previously described).

FIGS. 12-13 depict another alternate embodiment and optional aspects ofthe invention. As shown in FIG. 12, garment belt 10 d can comprise twoattachment devices 12 d at opposing ends of the belt. A strap 16 dextends between the two attachment devices. Attachment devices 12 d canindependently be selected from any of the attachment deviceconfigurations set forth above. One of the attachment devices canoptionally include an adjustment portion as set forth with respect toFIGS. 10-11. Where an adjustment portion is not included in one of theattachment devices, an independent adjustment device 18 can be included.

Strap 16 d is shown to comprise a design associated with the strap. Thedesign can be woven into the strap or can be provided separately. Thebelt straps of the invention can be of any color or combinations ofcolors. The strap design can be of the same color as the strap ordiffering color(s). The design can alternatively be branded into thestrap or can utilize one or more additional materials. The strap designcan comprise any of the design configurations discussed above withrespect to the attachment devices.

Optionally, garment belts of the invention can comprise a slide piece100, as shown in FIGS. 12 in association with belt 10 d, andindependently in FIG. 13. Slide piece 100 can be configured to allow atleast two passes of strap 16 through an internal opening 104. Slide 100can be utilized to harness a free end of strap 16 after adjusting ortensioning of the strap.

Slide 100 can have a front 102 that can optionally comprise a designthat is similar or that differs from any of the other belt components.Example design configurations are described above.

Slide piece 103 can additionally include a back 108 and opposing top andbottom portions 106 extending between the back and the front. An overallwidth W₁ (vertical) of slide piece 100 can preferably be the same as oneor more of adjustment portion 18 (where present) and attachment portions12, 14. A width W₉ (horizontal) can be, for example, 0.5 inches. Anexample thickness d₃ of the slide piece can be, for example, 0.325inches. Opening 104 through slide 100 can have an example thickness d₄of about 0.1 inches. Slide 100 can be flat as shown or can be curved(top to bottom), or can have a flat front portion with a curved backportion.

Use of the belts of the invention in conjunction with men's women's orchildren's garments are contemplated. Accordingly, the sizes of thevarious components of the described garment belts can be varied relativeto those specifically set forth. The belts may be provided in specificlengths (i.e. specific measurement of belt length or strap length), inadjustable lengths based upon a range of sizes (i.e. small, medium,large, etc. for men women or children), or as a one size fits all.

In compliance with the statute, the subject matter disclosed herein hasbeen described in language more or less specific as to structural andmethodical features. It is to be understood, however, that the claimsare not limited to the specific features shown and described, since themeans herein disclosed comprise example embodiments. The claims are thusto be afforded full scope as literally worded, and to be appropriatelyinterpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A garment belt comprising: a first attachmentdevice at a first end of a belt; a second attachment at a second end ofthe belt; and a strap extending between the first attachment device andthe second attachment device.
 2. The belt of claim 1 further comprisingan adjustment device, wherein the strap is threaded through theadjustment device.
 3. The belt of claim 2 wherein the adjustment deviceis a bar slide buckle.
 4. The belt of claim 2 wherein the adjustmentdevice is integral with one of the first and second attachment device.5. The belt of claim 2 wherein the strap consists of two separate piecesand wherein the adjustment piece joins the two separate pieces.
 6. Thebelt of claim 2 wherein the strap is a single contiguous piece.
 7. Thebelt of claim 1 wherein the strap comprises one or more of the membersof the group consisting of nylon, cloth, leather, chain, elastic, wovenmaterial, hemp, and rope.
 8. The belt of claim 1 wherein the firstattachment device is a hook and the second attachment device is a clip.9. The belt of claim 1 wherein the first and second attachment devicesindependently comprise one or more of plastic, metal, wood, plate metal,steel, aluminum, copper and brass.
 10. The belt of claim 1 furthercomprising a slide disposed around the strap configured to hold a feeend of the strap.
 11. A garment belt comprising: a first attachmentdevice at a first end of the belt, the first attachment device beingconfigured to attach over a first belt loop on a garment; a secondattachment device on a second end of the belt, the second attachmentdevice being configured to attach over a second belt loop on a garment;and an adjustment piece disposed along the belt strap between the firstadjustment device and the second adjustment device.
 12. The belt ofclaim 11 where the first and second attachment devices are independentlyselected from the group consisting of hooks, and clips.
 13. The belt ofclaim 11 wherein the belt strap is from about 8.0 inches to about 10.0inches in length.
 14. The belt of claim 11 wherein each of the first andsecond attachment devices comprises a strap slot through which the strappasses.
 15. The belt of claim 11 wherein the adjustment piece is abuckle having two openings.
 16. The belt of claim 11 wherein the beltstrap is attached to each of the first attachment device and the secondattachment by stitching, grommets, gluing, rivets or a combinationthereof.
 17. The belt of claim 11 wherein the garment is selected fromthe group consisting of pants, shorts, skirts, dresses and outerwear.18. A method of adjusting a garment, the method comprising: providing abelt having a pair of opposing attachment devices comprising a firstattachment device and a second attachment device and a belt strapextending between the first and second attachment devices; attaching thefirst attachment device to a first belt loop on a garment; and attachingthe second attachment device to a second belt loop on the garment. 19.The method of claim 18 wherein the first and second belt loops areadjacent belt loops.
 20. The method of claim 18 further comprisingproviding an adjustment device disposed between the pair of opposingattachment devices and utilizing the adjustment device to apply tensionbetween the first and second belt loops by adjusting the length of thebelt strap.